Bed bugs cannot fly, they have been observed climbing a higher surface in order to then fall to a lower one, such as climbing a wall in order to fall onto a bed. The technique can also be used to help prevent bed bugs from crawling up along walls where warranted. Long strips of this taping method (i.e. curled duct tape over painter's tape) can be used on standard floors to cordon off, surround, and isolate infested furniture, to protect clean furniture, or as part of a treatment effort to help prevent bed bugs from crawling toward specific areas. Other common places to find bed bugs include: along and under the edge of wall-to-wall carpeting (especially behind beds and furniture).

Bed bugs like to hide in the cracks and electical outlets in walls, behind wallpaper, base boards and picture frames, between beds and around the creases of mattresses and in bedding materials. They have a rather pungent odor which is caused by an oil-like liquid they emit. Bed bugs are often carried into houses by clothes, luggage, furniture, and bedding. Or sometimes even by humans. Many household pests can be controlled or prevented by a simple insecticide bug spray on baseboards and exterior surfaces of the home. This is not the case when dealing with an infestation of bed bugs.

Bed bugs only search for blood donors when they are actually hungry. In the intervals between meals they spend their time in suitable hiding places in the vicinity of the bed. These may be crevices in the timber, joints in the bed, behind the headboard, beneath loose carpeting, behind pictures, behind wallpaper, in plug sockets, light switches, etc. When hungry, bed bugs come out from their retreat and start to search. Their senses are not capable of guiding them to a distant blood donor, but at distances of 5 - 10cm they will be attracted by the body warmth of the victim. Bed bugs can crawl up a wall and can also walk upside down on rough ceilings, but if they are not skilled they often fall down. This is the basis of stories that bed bugs, having observed that their victim had placed the legs of the bed in dishes of water, crawled up the wall and across the ceiling and let themselves fall on to the poor sleeping body. However the bed bug is not as crafty as this.

Bed bug elimination procedures, methods and products closely resemble those used for indoor tick elimination, due to their size, harborage areas and habits. Thorough inspection of the premises will save you time and money. These tiny bugs can be found in any small crack in proximity to where humans rest or sleep. These cracks and crevices are generally behind and beneath baseboards, beneath area rugs, between carpeting and walls, in power areas of appliances or even in the folds of curtains and drapes in the infested room. A thorough vacuuming of cracks, crevices and other areas where bed bugs hide is an essential part of an integrated pest management program targeting this particular pest.